“Idiot.”
“Logan, you promised.” Suzanne stood just outside the door of the Orbit Lounge and Grill, where she was supposed to be meeting Logan. Who was apparently still in Palo Alto. “This one isn’t optional. It’s mandatory.”
“I’m sorry, babe. My interview is tomorrow morning. I can’t get back in time.”
Suzanne swallowed down her bitter disappointment. Of course Logan couldn’t miss an interview. Their future hinged on him getting hired. “Can you come afterwards? I told the Realtor you’d be at the showing this week. They want the buyer to be family-oriented, so my fiancé should really be with me.”
“I can’t commit to that. It’s a multi-level interview. I have to meet with every department and go out to lunch with one of the junior partners. It’s just a house, Suz. Why is it so important?”
Grrr. She’d explained it to him last weekend, when she’d flown to Palo Alto to surprise him and show him the listing.
She smiled and waved at Mrs. Murphy, who owned the used bookstore next to the Sky View Gallery, Evie’s place. She was kindhearted but a notorious rumormonger. The last thing Suzanne wanted was word getting out that there might be trouble with her engagement.
Which there wasn’t. She and Logan were totally on the same page. Even if that page had some bad words on it. She kept her voice nice and even as she answered his question. “I’ve wanted that house back ever since my family went broke. It’s the most wonderful place on earth, and I know that you would fall in love with it if you would just,” get your ass here when I need you, “give it a chance. It has lots of extra space so you can entertain your clients there. And it’s a steal. Mrs. Shrew is unloading it because she wants to go back to Hong Kong.”
“But we’re going to be living in Palo Alto.”
“Yes, but for weekend getaways, it’s perfect.”
“Hm.” For the first time, Logan lost the condescending tone he’d been using every time Suzanne mentioned Casa di Stella. “That’s worth thinking about. But I can’t make it, so you’ll have to handle this alone. Love you, babe.”
He ended the call, leaving Suzanne ready to throttle her phone in sheer frustration.
“Cool it, princess.” Josh’s laughing voice, warm and as deep as smoked honey, spoke in her ear. “If you need to throw something, I have a hackeysack you can borrow.”
Suzanne turned around, her best glare cued up and ready to launch, only to stop short when she caught sight of him. Instead of his usual jeans and flannel, he wore gray trousers and a black button-down shirt. His tumbling blond locks were neatly combed for once, although the stubborn wave in his hair suggested that wouldn’t last. He must have just shaved, because his face showed not a speck of stubble and she caught a haunting trace of spicy aftershave.
She caught herself leaning forward to inhale more of it.
His deep gray eyes gleamed in the low-lumen streetlights Jupiter Point used to reduce light pollution. Part of her wanted to sit back and just enjoy the sheer visual treat that he presented.
His expression shifted from playful to concerned when he scanned her face.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.” She forced her mouth into a smile. “Everything’s great. Are you here for Sean and Evie’s party?”
Her fakery didn’t throw him off for a second. He kept his gaze on her. “Not buying it. Who was that on the phone?”
“Why is that any of your business?”
“Because.” He paused, as if trying to think up a rational reason why he might have a right to question her. “I got stuck in the ladies’ room with you.”
Laughter burst out of her. “So?”
“You know how they say when you save someone’s life, you’re responsible for that person? Same principle applies. Your life is now my responsibility.”
She tucked her phone into her little black clutch with the sparkly starburst pattern. “Maybe your life is my responsibility. You could look at it that way too.”
“Fine. Then you have a responsibility to fill me in.” He flashed that irresistible, panty-melting grin, the one that put that ridiculously kissable groove in his cheek.
“You are so ridiculous.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. “ He took her by the arm and steered her toward the front entrance. The warmth of his body had a strange effect, both soothing and exciting. She never felt that way with Logan.
Then again, it wasn’t a fair comparison. Logan didn’t do physical work like Josh did. Of course he didn’t have the same level of musculature.
It’s not about the muscles, something inside her whispered. That’s just part of it. Most of it is Josh, his playfulness, his grin, the thoughtful expression she sometimes caught in his gray eyes.
Inside, they located the group of Evie and Sean’s friends who had pushed together several tables in the quietest part of the bar. The glow-in-the-dark stars scattered across the ceiling cast a gentle, eerie glow over the space. Fuchsia and indigo lava lamps illuminated the tables and booths. A techno electronic beat pulsed from the dance floor. Normally, Suzanne loved hanging out at the Orbit; it was so campy. But this was the third time Logan had failed to show up for an event.
Evie flew to greet them, kissing and hugging them both.
“Cuz, I love you but I have to say this is not the way I would have planned your engagement party,” Suzanne murmured in Evie’s ear, eyeing the beer bottles and bowls of pretzels on the tables.
“I know. But with Sean’s schedule we didn’t want to plan something then have to cancel it if the crew got allocated somewhere.”
“Allocated,” Josh said with a lift of his eyebrow. “Look at you, using fire-service jargon. Welcome to the family.”
Evie laughed and gave a fond glance at her fiancé, who was listening closely to Evie’s father, known universally as the Dean. “Sean gave me a study guide. He said if I’m going to have any clue what he’s talking about over the next fifty years, I’d better get the vocabulary down.”
“What’s a Pulaski?” Josh fired the question at her.
When Evie couldn’t quite come up with the right answer. Suzanne gave it a stab. “A move in women’s gymnastics?”
“Wrong. What does BLM stand for?”
“Bureau of Lame Munchkins,” Suzanne shot back.
“Wrong. What role does an Incident Commander play?”
“In bed or out of bed?” Suzanne asked in her most innocent voice. Evie burst out laughing, while Josh threw up his hands in defeat.
“Never marry a hotshot,” he told her. “You’d be the end of him.”
Suzanne made a little face at him. “I think I’ve earned a drink, don’t you?” she asked Evie.
Sean chose that moment to appear with two bottles of beer. “Can someone take these so I can do something more interesting with my hands?”
Suzanne and Josh exchanged a glance. “Should we help them out?” Josh asked in a dubious voice.
“You know what they’ll do as soon as his hands are free,” she answered in a conspiratorial whisper. “And they aren’t even married yet. It’s shocking.”
“It’s an outrage to decent people everywhere.” Josh put a hand over his heart, as if he could barely handle the shock.
“I might faint if I see any more googly-eyes over there.”
“Yup. I need a beer just to recover.”
They both laughed and Suzanne held out her hand to accept a beer bottle, only to find Evie and Sean looking at them strangely.
“Uh…what’s going on with you guys?” Sean asked as he handed over the bottles. He slid his arm around Evie’s waist and nuzzled her hair.
“Nothing.” Suzanne bristled. “What are you talking about?”
“You were…kind of bantering. Like a comedy team or something.” Evie tilted her face so Sean could land a kiss just below her ear. “It was cute.”
Suzanne shot Josh an uneasy glance. It was true; they’d had a sort of groove going for a minute there. She supposed it wa
s safe to say they connected on a certain level. But just the most superficial level.
And the physical.
But that was superficial, too, wasn’t it?
Josh stepped into the awkward moment. “Actually, Suzanne was about to fill me in on her conversation with Logan. Her fiancé,” he added pointedly, as if reminding everyone.
“Right, where is Logan? I thought he was coming tonight.” Evie frowned, as much as she could while continuing to beam happily in Sean’s embrace.
“He has an interview. I completely understand. He probably won’t make it here for a few weeks. The thing is…” She trailed off, biting her lip. Evie already wasn’t Logan’s biggest fan. Once she heard about Logan missing the house showing, that would be one more strike against him.
But as usual, Evie was perceptive enough to understand the situation without Suzanne explaining. “That means he’ll miss the showing. Aw, sweetie, I’m sorry.” She reached out a comforting hand to squeeze Suzanne’s shoulder. “I’m sure you can reschedule it. Especially when you explain that your future lawyer husband is interviewing for his future well-paying job.”
Was it her imagination, or did Josh stiffen at that glowing description of Logan? “This will be the third time I have to cancel. They weren’t happy the last two times.” She worked at the label of the beer bottle with her thumb. She had no intention of drinking—not with Josh so close and so appealing. She didn’t trust herself, not after the champagne incident at the observatory.
He wasn’t drinking either, she noticed, and wondered if it was for the same reason.
“Are other people looking at the house?”
“I’m sure they are. I’m not Mrs. Chu’s first choice anyway. She wants to sell to a family and my ring’s still on the wrong finger.” She waved the hand where her diamond sparkled.
Sean scratched his head and squinted at Suzanne. “What am I missing here?”
“Remember Casa di Stella, the house Suzanne’s parents used to own? She wants to buy it back, but the seller wants a family to get it. But Logan keeps—” Evie broke off suddenly and looked from Suzanne to Josh. “Hang on. Does anyone know what Logan looks like?”
“Not me,” said Sean promptly. “I’ve never laid eyes on the guy.”
“As far as I’m concerned, he might as well be imaginary,” Josh agreed. “Never seen him.”
Evie rolled her eyes at them. “I don’t mean you guys.” She turned to Suzanne. “Has Mrs. Chu or the Realtor ever seen Logan? Would they know if someone else came with you instead?”
Suzanne had to think about it. “I doubt it. When he comes to Jupiter Point, we mostly stay in. We sometimes go out to dinner but Mrs. Chu is practically a hermit, so we’ve never seen her. Lisa, the Realtor…well, it’s possible. But she just had a baby and this is her first month back at work. She probably has other things on her mind.”
She trailed off as the implications of Evie’s question sank in. “Do you mean someone else could pretend to be Logan?”
“Did you ever tell them the name of your fiancé?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
Evie shrugged. “You just need someone to accompany you in a fiancé-like capacity. Normally I wouldn’t suggest something like this, but I’m slightly outraged by the fact that Mrs. Chu is making such crazy demands. Is it even legal?”
“I have no idea, but Mrs. Chu never liked me. I didn’t behave very well after she bought Casa di Stella,” Suzanne said gloomily. “I’m probably the last person she wants to sell it to.”
“Then Josh will be even more helpful. Everyone likes Josh.”
Next to her, Josh broke out in a coughing fit. “Wait…what? Did I just hear my name in connection with the term ‘fiancé’?”
“Fiance-like,” Evie emphasized. “Suzanne needs someone who will convince Mrs. Chu that she’s a suitable candidate for home ownership, with a husband and children right around the corner.”
Just then the group of guests chatting with the Dean waved to her, and she said a quick “excuse me” to Suzanne and Josh. “I’ll let you two work out the details,” she whispered as she pulled Sean back to the party. “But it’s a genius idea.”
Suzanne reluctantly dragged her gaze to meet Josh’s. He looked torn between bewilderment and amusement. He looked around at the dark interior of the Orbit Lounge. “Is this place literally a black hole? I walked in here a happy single guy, and now Evie has me pretending to be engaged so I can buy a house.”
“I am going to buy the house,” she corrected. “And I can reschedule the showing again. It’s not a problem.” She put her bottle on a table and looked around at the party. It had lost its appeal. She’d left the house with her spirits sky high, dressed in her favorite fuchsia halter-top dress with the ruffled skirt. She was supposed to be here with her fiancé at her side, for once. Logan had promised—he’d promised. And now she might lose Casa di Stella forever. A family with kids would move in, and those kids would love it and leave it to their kids and—
“What’s so special about this particular house?” Josh was asking. He snagged a bowl of pretzels from the closest table and offered it to her.
“It’s not important.” She didn’t have the heart to explain it one more time. She chose a pretzel from the bowl and touched her tongue to it, letting the flavor of the salt soak in.
He made a funny sound, like a subterranean groan. “You just licked your pretzel.”
“Yes. I always do that. What’s the matter?” She did it again. “You should try it. The salt kind of dissolves against your tongue and your saliva moistens the pretzel and—what?”
He cleared his throat. The poor man really did look uncomfortable. She frowned, wondering if she’d done something terribly inappropriate. Then she saw him shift his stance just a bit and realized…oh.
He was getting turned on by watching her eat a pretzel.
“Seriously?” she asked him. She licked it again, more slowly this time, dragging her tongue across the hard crystals studded along the pretzel’s surface. “Mmmm. That’s sooooo gooood,” she crooned.
“Okay,” he said quickly. “I’ll do it. I’ll do the house thing. Whatever you need. Just don’t eat any more pretzels. I can’t take it.”
She gave a little burble of laughter, then another, feeling as if tiny bubbles of delight were flooding her entire being. As a notorious social butterfly, she was used to flirting. She never got shy around men. She liked the male gender, and enjoyed spending time with most men. They usually liked her, too.
But she wasn’t used to someone as hellaciously hot as Josh Marshall looking at her with quite that combination of raw desire and carnal knowledge. That look promised all sorts of naughtiness.
If his kiss was any indication of the things he knew…hoo boy.
Scratch that thought. She was engaged.
Engaged to someone who was about to sabotage her chances of getting her dream home, if she let him. “So you’re saying you’ll pretend to be Logan?”
He grimaced. “I’ll pretend to be your fiancé. But I won’t pretend to be him. We’ll just have to work around it.”
She thought it over. It could possibly work. She would introduce him as Josh and act all lovey-dovey, as if they were a couple. Mrs. Shrew and the Realtor would be expecting her to arrive with her fiancé, and would automatically jump to that conclusion. If she never specifically called him her fiancé, she couldn’t be accused of lying. It would be tricky, but it could be done. She nodded and offered her hand to shake on it. “Okay. Thank you, Josh. This really means a lot to me.”
They touched palms. The contact sent ripples up her arm and down to her lower belly. She snatched her hand away as if she’d been electrocuted.
Josh cleared his throat again. She wondered if he’d felt the same unsettling sensation she had. “So…when and where do you need me?”
6
The heat wave that had gripped the West for the past month finally broke, and the nation’s firefighting crews got a br
ief respite. No one expected it to last, but Josh and the other Jupiter Point Hotshots took full advantage. When they weren’t catching up on their sleep and doing their daily PT training, they held big barbecue feasts at the base and helped out with local fire mitigation efforts like brush-clearing.
Jupiter Point was definitely growing on Josh. In his firefighting career, he’d been based in Colorado, Arizona, and now California, and he had friends in all those places. He always enjoyed getting to know the towns where he spent his summers, but he was never tempted to settle down in them. A good, friendly relationship was as far as he wanted to go.
That principle applied to many areas of his life, actually.
He didn’t really understand Suzanne’s obsession with one house out of the many charming homes Jupiter Point had to offer. But he was willing to help her out, the way a big brother type of person would.
Suzanne picked him up in her red Miata at the base about a week after Sean and Evie’s engagement party. She looked fresh and pretty in a crisp, mint-green cropped blazer and white linen pants. Her hair was pinned into a low knot at the base of her neck and she wore little diamond studs in her ears. He wondered if Logan had given them to her to match the diamond ring on her finger.
Screw Logan.
What was wrong with the man? Was he so confident that he didn’t think he had to pay attention to his fiancée anymore?
“I’ve been thinking about how to handle this,” Suzanne told him as she aimed the Miata toward the foothills. “I’m going to introduce you as Josh, except kind of like this.” She coughed, burying the word “Josh” in the middle of the sound. “Don’t worry, I’ve been practicing it.”
He looked at her with an incredulous laugh. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
She grinned at him. “Yes, but Mrs. Chu is hard of hearing so we don’t have to worry about it. I already told Lisa what’s going on, so don’t worry about her. Your job will be to charm Mrs. Chu with your smile and dimples and all of that.”
“So now I’m supposed to be a fiancé who’s flirting with another woman?”
Burn So Bright Page 5
